


Bring Back the Motherflippin' Duel!

by Soeverlasting



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Love Live! References, One Shot, Swordfighting, The Princess Bride References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26388835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soeverlasting/pseuds/Soeverlasting
Summary: To reclaim her honor, Ruby engages in a head-to-head duel with fencing club member Weiss Schnee.
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Kudos: 21





	Bring Back the Motherflippin' Duel!

After being a total geek in middle school, Ruby Rose is determined to reinvent herself as a mature young woman in high school.

Yang already abandoned her to be with her other friends, but that's okay. Ruby can handle herself as a mature young maiden. Time to make some friends of her own Nothing could ruin her first day!

Then the rain poured heavy and fast.

_Oh, come on!_ Ruby ducked into the main building and ran for the nearest restroom. There was already another student inside. She had long white hair tied in a side ponytail. She was applying some makeup when Ruby barged in.

"Excuse you," the girl said. "I'm in here."

Ruby could see that but didn't think to leave the restroom. "My name is Ruby Rose. It's just pouring out there." She stretched out her hand. This girl seems like a good place to start. Maybe her luck will turn around?

The girl looked at the damp hand in disgust. "My name is Weiss Schnee," she said. Ruby said nothing. "Of the Schnee Pharmaceutical Conglomerate?!"

"Are you a drug dealer?" Ruby asked.

Weiss stamped her foot and tore Ruby a new one, explaining, in meticulous detail, what the SPC actually does. Ruby took it all in like a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

"And that is why we're one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world," Weiss said. "We are not 'drug dealers'. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Ruby said.

Weiss left the restroom in a huff and left Ruby alone. Washing her face in the sink, Ruby looked at the mirror. Her first day was not going so well, but she still has half the school day left. She just needs a little something to lift her spirits.

"Nico nico nii," Ruby recited, with perfect pronunciation and hand choreography, the catchphrase from a certain schoolgirl idol from that one anime. She's a little old for this sort of thing but it always cheers her up.

"And send," Weiss said. She left her smartphone on the sink and came back when Ruby was doing her dance. Ruby looked at Weiss in horror. Weiss just smirked back. "Now the entire school will know who you are."

Ping! Ruby got a notification on her phone. The sound echoed throughout the hall. Within minutes, the video was on every student's smartphone.

On her first day of high school, Ruby Rose was diagnosed as a weeb.

/-/

She sulked through the hallway and kept her head down. It was just her first day and she already made a fool of herself. _I'm not a weeb, dammit_. That Weiss girl didn't have to post that embarrassing video of her online. Ruby was so lost in thought, she didn't notice another student running right into her. Ruby gave a little shout, and then she distinctly heard the students' belongings bumping against the tile.

"Oh I'm so sorry," Ruby said. She doesn't need this right now.

"No, it was my fault for not looking." The young man with the mess of blond hair introduced himself as Jaune Arc, a member of Beacon's boy's fencing team. He picked up his bag but placed his sword against the wall.

The two fell into conversation. "So why did you join the fencing team?" Ruby said. She never saw a sword outside of a museum or picture book before.

Jaune described how his family came from a long line of aristocrats in the old days. Old money as they say. "I wanted to live out my fantasies as a romantic hero defending a maiden's honor in duels against scoundrels." Jaune chuckled at such follies. "Now I fence because it looks good on my resume."

"What's a duel?" Ruby said.

"A duel is when one person feels wronged by the other, they settle their differences with swords," Jaune said, more than happy to share his knowledge. He also noted the school only uses practice swords, which can't actually cut someone but can bruise with enough effort.

"That sounds awesome!" Ruby said. This school is so cool. No wonder Yang goes here.

"I know right?" Jaune looked over his phone. "Is that the time?" Jaune hiked up his bag. "Sorry, Ruby got to go." Jaune ran out of the hall.

Ruby tried to call out to Jaune but he already left. He forgot his practice sword. Ruby picked it up. A scheme forming in her mind.

/-/

Outside Ruby sat at one of the benches that were set up along the back walls, shaded by a flowering tree. Weiss should be coming out this way, back to the dorms. There. Weiss came out of the gymnasium and was just about to pass Ruby. Ruby took a deep breath and confronted the heiress.

"Weiss Schnee," Ruby said standing on the bench. Weiss stopped and turned around. Ruby drew out her sword. "Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. You killed-"

"Where did you get that?" Weiss spotted the sword in Ruby's hand. "Professor Goodwitch has been looking for that missing sword." Weiss stepped forward. "Did you steal it from vomit boy? Give it back. That's not a toy."

Ruby stumbled a bit at Weiss's reprimand. There goes the dramatic entrance. "I didn't steal it. I'm borrowing it. I'll return it after our duel."

"Our what now?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. She doesn't have time for this nonsense.

"That video of yours besmirched my honor. I challenge you to a formal duel to reclaim it." Why did Ruby have to explain this? Weiss is on the fencing team.

_What century does she think she's in?_ Weiss huffed in frustration. "Look Ruby right? There's nothing formal about this and you won't reclaim 'your honor' by fighting me. Stop wasting my time." Weiss started to leave.

Ruby sprang from the bench toward her mortal enemy.

"Really you dol-"

Ruby did not let Weiss finish her insult; she thrust her sword at the haughty girl's head but the upperclassmen craned her neck to one side.

Quickly Weiss grabbed Ruby before the other girl could think of doing something stupider. Weiss wanted to scold Ruby for being so foolish, for getting so carried away with her vendetta but she got lost in Ruby's silver eyes. _So cute._

They clung together for a moment, studying each other's faces, then Ruby disengaged herself away from Weiss and bent her legs with her feet a comfortable width apart, silver eyes burning.

"Must we duel over this?" Weiss said. "Just hand over the sword, walk away, and I'll forget all about this. You're never going to lay a scratch on me anyway."

Ruby stood in a defensive stance, not backing down from Weiss's stare, right hand hovering over the hilt ready to strike.

Weiss sighed. "If you insist." She placed a hand on her sword and calmly waited for Ruby to make the first move. Of course, Weiss has a personal sword. She's rich.

Ruby started with a strong forward thrust. Weiss almost felt insulted at such a move. No sense of technique or artistry. She parried the move with nary a thought.

The gulf in ability and technique between them is vast. Ruby's athleticism and quickness showed even if she lacked the knowledge or the skills necessary for competent swordplay. Of course, in all fairness it should be pointed out, Ruby was concerned not with demonstrating beautiful swordplay, but in knocking the heiress down a peg.

Ruby's haphazard swordplay went on for several minutes. Maintaining distance and at the last possible moment, Weiss parried each attack. Ruby's strikes soon slowed down. Taking a step back, she felt her sword grow heavy in her grip as she forced herself to breathe.

"Are you done yet?" Weiss spotted an open can of magenta paint, probably dropped by the art club, near the bench. She dipped the tip of her sword in the can and showed it to Ruby. "Now let me show you real fencing."

Suddenly Weiss advanced, her blade came flying at Ruby's chest, and the girl was driven back, hardly parrying Weiss's attacks with her sword. Each blow was planned and executed with surgical precision, leaving Ruby's body pitted and covered with splotches of magenta paint.

As Ruby clutched her chest and fell to the ground in pain, she realized the gap between them. _But I can't give up here._

_"Is that Weiss?"_

_"Is she sword fighting that Ruby girl?"_

_"Someone get security."_

The duel between Weiss and Ruby drew the attention of the other students. Everyone with a smartphone streamed the fight as it happened. The resulting viral stream of Ruby and Weiss's duel ensured that their high school lives would never be the same again.

Oblivious to the attention she was receiving, Weiss towered over the crumpled Ruby. Ensured of her victory, Weiss wanted to rub it in Ruby's face. Weiss recognized what Ruby tried to say before. "Good heavens. Are you still trying to win? You got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It's going to get you into trouble someday." Time to end this farce of a duel. Weiss twirled her blade in a sheer display of hubris, but it would prove to be her downfall. Weiss delivered the decisive strike.

In a stroke of insight, Ruby raised her sword at just the right moment and countered Weiss's coup de grace.

Weiss stumbled back shocked at Ruby's sudden counterattack. She stood there dumbfounded a tad too long.

Ruby abruptly flared back to life, stepping in with a lunge at Weiss's shoulder, sword at arm's length.

Yelping in pain, Weiss tried to parry Ruby's attack, but the thrust came so fast she faltered, moving back a few steps. _Where did that come from? That has to be all she has left._ In a blink of an eye, the tide of battle had turned.

_"Is this the comeback?"_

_"Weiss was asking for it with that movie reference."_

_"Go sis!"_

All the students began to rally around Ruby. Their cheers gave her strength.

"Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. You killed my social life. Prepare to die." By now the young woman was on her last breath and kept stumbling and falling as she forced herself up, but she must finish this duel.

Suddenly Ruby advanced with a series of rapid sword jabs and Weiss was driven back, unable to parry any of Ruby's strikes.

Despite her heart pounding into her throat, Weiss moved with skill and grace, angling away from Ruby's rushes but couldn't retaliate in kind. When there was an opening, Weiss sent her blade down low but Ruby met Weiss's blade with hers and parried.

_Tch. She's learning._ Weiss was forced to admit.

"Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. You killed my social life. Prepare to die," Ruby said with a bit more vigor.

Ruby pressed her advantage and forced Weiss all the way to the school's fountain. Everyone was eager to the conclusion of this duel.

"HELLO! My name is Ruby Rose. You killed my social life. Prepare to die."

"Stop saying that!" Weiss said. She was backed up all the way to the fountain, with nowhere left to go. She tried for one last overhead strike.

Ruby caught Weiss's hand with her free arm. Using her sword, Ruby poked Weiss on the cheek.

"Got you," Ruby said.

Weiss couldn't help but smirk. "Indeed you did." Ruby's face was so close to Weiss that she got flustered all over again.

"Will you take down the tweet?" Ruby said.

"Sure."

"Will you publicly apologize?"

"Of course." Ruby earned that much with her performance.

"Can we be friends?"

"Wait wha-"

Ruby never got Weiss's answer. The toll of the duel finally caught up to her and she blacked out from exhaustion, falling forwards, on top of Weiss. Ruby's lips meeting Weiss's as they fell into the fountain.

_This feels nice._ Weiss thought as she was submerged in water. Weiss didn't know how long they were like that until campus security finally came to separate them.

/-/

In the end, Ruby did not get expelled for assaulting another student. Headmaster Ozpin can be absurdly lenient at times. However, Ruby must be punished for her actions. So, Ruby must assist with the fencing team afterschool. She won't participate in any events and she's not allowed to handle any of the swords.

Weiss got reprimanded as well. The heiress didn't take too kindly to that. Even though she was acting in self-defense, she chose to engage Ruby in a sword fight instead of walking away or calling for a teacher. For her punishment, Weiss has to monitor Ruby to make sure she fulfilled her duties to the club.

"Looks like we're stuck with each other," Ruby said. The two of them sat out in the courtyard. The sun was setting and everyone was going home.

"It seems so," Weiss said. Her parents would be furious about this. "I'm sorry that I posted the photo." It does seem childish to her now.

"It's okay," Ruby patted Weiss on the shoulder. "I beat you in the duel, so we're even."

"You didn't beat me in a duel," Weiss snapped.

"But-"

Weiss held one finger up. "That wasn't an officially sanctioned duel. You wouldn't be able to move like you did if we were fighting on the strip." Ruby looks deflated. Weiss's expression softened. "But your ability to learn and counteract me was amazing."

Ruby beamed. "Yeah, growing up I was always a visual learner. My uncle Qrow says that my silver eyes can trace the movements of anything in an instant. Like, come on. There's nothing special about my eyes." Ruby giggled at the assertion. "Still it's too bad I can't train in fencing."

Weiss stroked her chin. "Maybe not at school." Ruby cocked her head. "The headmaster only said you couldn't train with the school's equipment. That doesn't mean you can't practice outside the school."

"You're right," Ruby said. Loopholes are great. "But why would you train me?" This girl was more than willing to humiliate her on the internet when they first met.

"Well, it's because I'm the best fencer in this school,"

"You're not the team captain though," Ruby interrupted.

"Besides her," Weiss said. "And well you're a challenge for me. Despite your sloppy and uncouth fighting style, I had trouble keeping up with you. Hardly anyone outside of my sister or the captain could do that to me." Weiss fiddled with her hands. "I've plateaued and I want to keep getting better."

Ruby smiled. "Wow, Weiss I can't believe what I'm hearing. Ruby Rose Dueling Master." Her eyes shine with delusions of martial glory.

"Not yet you're not," Weiss said. "I'll make a competent duelist out of you yet you dolt."

"Yeah Weiss. I'll beat you for real next time." Ruby stared Weiss down but her lips twitched.

"Learn the rules first, idiot." Weiss smiled back as well.

Thus began the school life between two rivals. Will something more develop between the two of them?

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any inaccuracies in my portrayal of high school fencing teams. Just wanted a whiterose swordfight.
> 
> Title comes from the Value Select video "How to Solve Cancel Culture (Scientifically Proven Cure)"
> 
> Ruby recited Nico Yazawa's catchphrase from Love Live! School Idol Project.
> 
> Finally Ruby and Weiss recited lines from the classic movie The Princess Bride.
> 
> Thanks for Reading.


End file.
